15 minutes before the game.
The director focused the camera on Curry and Su Yan, whose precise Three-point Shot training left fans exclaiming in disbelief.
Before this.
The director also gave the camera to David Lee and Monta Ellis, the two star cores of their respective teams.
At the commentary desk.
Reggie Miller looked at Curry and Su Yan on the big screen and smiled, "Recently, the discussion about Su Yan and Stephen, these two rookies, being potential stocks of the small ball era, has been quite popular.
Both of them have accurate Three-point Shots.
Stephen delivered a mythical performance in last year's March Madness.
Those precise Three-point Shots made opponents' scalps tingle.
Despite looking very thin, he managed to use Three-point Shots to help Davidson College, which had never made it to March Madness before.
Reach the Elite Eight.
This is truly incredible, and it will surely be a great story in Curry's future career documentary.
What about Su Yan?!
He is also very formidable.
As an Undrafted Player, he joined the New York Knicks as a "vase" and got playing time.
The result was his NBA debut.
Eight Three-point Shots, all hitting their mark, and he even used a step-back Three-point Shot to buzzer-beater the thunders big three, orchestrating an epic 20-point comeback.
That's too cool.
Immediately after... in the second game, Su Yan again hit seven Three-point Shots, making seven or more Three-point Shots in two consecutive games.
Even top shooters in the league like Ray Allen, Peja, and Lewis haven't achieved that.
Su Yan is the first person this season to do so.
That's truly impressive!
"Yes, yes."
Another commentator, "The Glide" Drexler, smiled and nodded, "Su Yan and Stephen are both excellent in the Three-point Shot domain.
It's a pity.
Stephen hasn't yet proven his Three-point Shot ability to be as precise on the NBA stage.
We also need to give him time to adapt.
Hopefully tonight, he can have a Three-point Shot duel with Su Yan and make Oracle Arena rain Three-point Shots!
That will surely be a sight to behold.
And besides Stephen and Su Yan, the core matchup between David Lee and Monta Ellis will also be very exciting.
So, who will have the last laugh?
Let's all look forward to the main event."
Reggie Miller echoed, "It's bound to be spectacular. The main event is coming soon, so don't change the channel, everyone."
Before the game.
The two commentators further hyped up the match.
"Boom!"
Soon after.
Amidst the passionate atmosphere of the arena, both sides finished their warm-ups, and the starting lineups began to take the court.
Golden State Warriors starters: Point Guard: Stephen Curry, Shooting Guard: Monta Ellis, Small Forward: Corey Maggette, Power Forward: Vladimir Radmanovic, Center: Antoine Tolliver.
New York Knicks starters: Point Guard: Chris Douby, Shooting Guard: McGrady, Small Forward: Su Yan, Power Forward: Al Harrington, Center: David Lee.
"Jump ball!"
The jump ball between David Lee and Tolliver.
Tolliver is only 203 centimeters tall, but he can play the Center position, averaging 7.3 rebounds per game.
What's even more impressive about him is that he has an outside Three-point Shot.
A Center with a Three-point Shot?
Yes.
It will be a common sight in the future, but in this era, it's very rare, yet Tolliver has developed it.
This makes him a great fit for the Warriors, who love to shoot Three-point Shots.
Of course.
He doesn't have an advantage in jump balls.
"Slap!"
David Lee tipped the ball first, winning the New York Knicks the first offensive possession of the game.
Douby brought the ball up.
Dribbling with a front crossover, he silently looked for offensive and passing opportunities, then suddenly accelerated with a drive.
He passed the ball to David Lee under the basket on the other side.
With his back to Tolliver, preparing for a low-post single, Radmanovic came over to help, and David Lee was waiting for this moment.
First, he passed to Harrington on the perimeter, then passed it out again to Su Yan at the top of the arc on the right.
An open shot?
No.
The opportunity wasn't great.
Monta Ellis was nearby and could close out immediately.
But Su Yan seemed not to care at all. The moment he received the ball, he immediately launched a Three-point Shot.
"Looking for a block!"
Ellis had been watching him.
At such a close distance, as long as Su Yan dared to shoot, he dared to block.
However... the basketball flew out from his fingertips, far beyond his reach.
"So... so fast release!"
Ellis was startled. Unable to block it, he quickly turned his head, and in his astonishment, the basketball swished through the net, splashing like waves.
"Wooow~ Su Yan's Three-point Shot is still so accurate."
"Hehe, Su Yan's Three-point Shot release is too fast. You can't give him any space, and there can't be any hesitation in defense!"
The commentator exclaimed.
"Hmm?!"
Curry frowned slightly upon seeing this.
Others might not care or notice anything unusual, but he could tell.
He knew his shooting form too well.
Now Su Yan's shot, whether it was the one-motion release or the super-fast release speed.
It was all similar to his.
Interesting.
Curry looked at Su Yan, his eyes showing intense interest.
[Warriors 0:3 New York Knicks].
Possession changed.
Curry brought the ball up. Just as he reached the top of the arc, Monta Ellis gave him a look, and Curry somewhat reluctantly passed the ball to him.
Huh?
Is this a struggle for the ball? Or court bullying?
Su Yan noticed the passing details between Curry and Ellis.
It was obvious... Ellis's behavior and expression when asking for the ball were filled with dissatisfaction towards Curry.
The reasons are easy to understand.
First, Curry has not proven himself this season. He hasn't become the Warriors' second-in-command as fans expected.
Currently, the team's second-in-command is Corey Maggette.
Second, Curry and Ellis are similar types of players, and everyone understands the principle that one mountain cannot hold two tigers.
Third, the current Ellis is definitely stronger, which is beyond doubt. He wants to lead the team to a higher stage.
Then the team's seventh pick could have been used to select another talented rookie to assist him.
Rather than a potential competitor.
Crucially... he hasn't proven himself yet.
First 10 games of the season.
Curry had 14 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals in his debut, but besides that barely acceptable performance.
In the subsequent 9 games.
He only scored in double digits once; in the other 8 games, all his scores were single digits, and his average Three-point Shots made did not exceed two.
A dismal Three-point Shot percentage of 0-for-1, 1-for-3, 2-for-6 was ubiquitous.
To be honest.
It was really terrible.
To describe it as unbearable to watch would not be an exaggeration.
Just looking at these 10 games, if you told someone that Curry would be the greatest shooter in NBA history and the king of the small ball era in the future.
They would surely laugh their heads off.
They might even look at you with the pitying gaze reserved for a fool.
So... Ellis truly finds it hard to like Curry.
Curry also played under great duress; he didn't want to be Ellis's backup. The reason his Three-point Shot was so bad.
On one hand, it was indeed related to not adapting to the NBA's intensity.
On the other hand, most of the time, he could only take high-difficulty Three-point Shots that absolutely had to be taken, after Ellis's isolation attempts failed and he passed the ball to him.
These were what you'd call 'hot potato' shots.
The success rate goes without saying.
He initially didn't want to go to the Warriors at all; his ideal team was the New York Knicks, but Coach Don Nelson intercepted him.
Tonight.
Just like before, following Ellis, he could only force high-difficulty shots.
The New York Knicks also specifically targeted his defense.
This would only make Curry play even worse.
But Su Yan was different; many of his shots on the court were opportunities created for him after continuous screens.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Consecutive Three-point Shots made.
The two potential rookie stocks of the small ball era, who gained attention due to the TNT Talk Show, both shot Three-point Shots.
However.
The skill level was worlds apart!!!